The Balkanization Of The Middle East?

I borrow Andrew Sullivan's article heading, which points to the lack of any deep historical identity for any country between Egypt and Iran.  Sullivan quotes Shlomo Avineri who notes:

• "Most international borders in the Middle East and North Africa were drawn by imperial powers – Britain, France, and Italy – either after World War I and the breakup of the Ottoman Empire (the Sykes-Picot agreements), or, as in Libya and Sudan, earlier. But in no case did these borders correspond with local popular will, or with ethnic or historical boundaries. ("The Balkanization Of The Middle East," Andrew Sullivan, Daily Dish, 27 April 2012)

The latest focus is on the future of a Sunnis-Alawite-Druze-Christian-Kurd Syria. But one could also go back to the subject of the fascinating if a tad over-written and self-referential Churchill's Folly: How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq, by Christopher Catherwood (Basic Books, 2004).  [And there is always Michael Zwerin's text from the 70s (see image until I can post a photo of the cover of my personal copy, from which our moniker is derived.]

Just In Case There Was Any Doubt: Torture Does Not Equal Useful Information

Latest leaks (unfortunate metaphor regarding waterboarding) on latest report:

• While a final draft of a report being prepared by Democrat members of the Senate Intelligence Committee has yet to be completed, let alone made public, sources told Reuters the report would give little evidence to demonstrate that the techniques were effective, even in helping to track down and kill Osama bin Laden. It may have instead provided false leads and bogus intelligence.
• One official said the research, which involved going over millions of pages of documents handed over by the CIA, had yielded "no evidence" that waterboarding and other coercive interrogation methods had played "any significant role" in the years-long intelligence operations that eventually led to the killing of Bin Laden in a Pakistan safe-house by an elite team of US Navy Seals nearly a year ago. ("Waterboarding and 'enhanced interrogation' shown to be ineffective," by David Usborne, The Independent, 28 April 2012)

Or as your grandmother would note, you catch more flies with honey.  And you wonder, once intelligence is outsourced to semi-private companies, whether there would be a follow-up report like this to show that "coercive interrogation" produces "false leads and bogus intelligence" would ever be done. Or would the semi-private companies simply suggest that more "coercive interrogation" technology was needed, and continue to siphon off public funds?

Balkanization is Back: Did I Miss Anything?

Annan's six-point peace plan

Homs, Syria

1. Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people 
2. UN-supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians 
3. All parties to ensure provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting, and implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause 
4. Authorities to intensify the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons 
5. Authorities to ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists 
6. Authorities to respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully (21 April 2012, "UN votes to boost Syria mission," BBC)

Agreed  (however unlikely this is to be in practice: 17 April 2012, "Syria troops bombard Homs and other rebel areas," BBC). And this should be applied to: Syria, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Texas.  Where else?